BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Evening Edition  >  Top 5 At 5  >  Top 5 At 5: How the Drug Dependants Act Amendment Affects All Malaysians

Top 5 At 5: How the Drug Dependants Act Amendment Affects All Malaysians

Samantha Chong, Human Rights Lawyer & Drug Policy Reform Advocate

03-Jul-24 17:00

Top 5 At 5: How the Drug Dependants Act Amendment Affects All Malaysians

5. Mini Popek Popek Parlimen, where we bring you the biggest highlights from the Dewan Rakyat. Tonight, brain drain or longkang otak, Malaysia's stance on the South China Sea dispute as we get cozy with the Middle Kingdom and another day, another fight - this time about accusations that DAP wants to close KEMAS, the Community Development Department.

4. B. Batmanathan, better known as Batman, has gone viral for his efforts to save motorists from the dangers of potholes through guerilla tactics. We hear from the man himself as he tells us about why he's decided to take road safety into his own hands.

3. Earlier this week, 17-year old Chinese athlete Zhang Zhijie suffered a sudden cardiac arrest mid-match at the Asian Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, and passed away. The lack of immediate medical response has generated anger and criticism from netizens who think not enough of an effort was made to save the Zhijie's life. Dr Alzamani Idrose, President of the College of Emergency Physicians shares what quick medical intervention looks like.

2. Following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's announcement, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said she will be working together with the Higher Education Ministry to make sure all students who obtain 10As and above get a place in the matriculation programme. However, education rights groups consider this an insubstantial move in the face of bumiputera quotas. We revisit a conversation we had with Dr Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow of Malaysian Studies Programme from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute

1. Our top story: The government has introduced an amendment to the Drug Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act that would allow National Anti-Drug Agency officers to apprehend, treat and rehabilitate persons who are drug dependent or misusers. We discuss the implications of the drug laws, and how the amendments affect Malaysians with Samantha Chong, human rights lawyer and drug policy reform advocate.

Image credit: itakdalee, 123RF

Produced by: Dashran Yohan, Alia Zefri, Lim Sue Ann, Alena Nadia, Sudais Ferhard

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharaad Kuttan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  Law/Activismgovernmentsportshealth policyeducation

Tags:  drug reformparliamentdrug addictionmatriculationspmsportsbumiputera quotapotholes





Play / Pause

Listen now : Top 5 at 5: A countdown of the 5 biggest stories of...

Today’s Shows



6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Heron Lim, Lecturer of Economics at ESSEC Business School gives us an outlook for the Chinese economy.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Adrianta Aziz, President of the Malaysian Institute of Architects discusses the collaboration with the Federal Territories Ministry to revamp KL’s public spaces.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

C.S. Lim, Vice President of Legoland Malaysia discusses how the park stays relevant and attracts visitors during Visit Malaysia Year.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. James Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, unpacks Trump's proposed Board of Peace proposal and the unfolding tensions involving Iran.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Benjamin Barton, Associate Professor, University of Nottingham Malaysia talks about US-Greenland tensions.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT)Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

Soong Wei Siang, Regional Head of Consumer, RHB Research gives us his outlook for Malaysia's consumer sector.

9:35 AM

People, Planet, Profit

We cover the latest news and views in the ESG space to help businesses thrive with impact.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

In this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Dr Shian Lee, the aerospace engineer behind Alphaswift Industries. This is not a shiny drones conversation. It’s about what happens when machines start carrying real responsibility. We talk about why the sky might actually be easier for autonomy than the ground, why “fake it till you make it” has no place in aerospace, and how oil palm plantations became an unlikely training ground for future passenger flight. It’s a conversation about ambition, caution, physics, regulation, and what it really means to build technology that can’t afford to fail.

11:00 AM

Marketing Mojo

Content output is rising, but attention and trust are getting harder to earn. Shermaine Wong, Founder & CEO of Cult Creative, shares why Malaysian audiences are disengaging despite record levels of brand content.

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

PayNet’s Gary Yeoh and Joshua Lim, CEO and Co-founder of Buzz, explore how the Paynet Fintech Hub acts as a bridge between corporates and innovation, featuring the success story of a startup pivot that led to a TNG Digital pilot.

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

C.S. Lim, Vice President of Legoland Malaysia discusses how the park stays relevant and attracts visitors during Visit Malaysia Year.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Beyond the Ballot Box

An expert shares the key problems with our urban planning & design today and key principles to build an equitable city for everyone.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

We hear from an educator who is building a community for parents to support each other, in the face of increasing mental health issues among children.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

A countdown of the 5 biggest stories of the day, to catch you up on all you need to know!

6:00 PM

Talkback Tuesday

What is the one thing you want to change about Malaysia's education system?

8:00 PM

BBC World Service